


The New Age of Mechonis

by Teriyaki_Poodle_on_Strudel



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25181053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teriyaki_Poodle_on_Strudel/pseuds/Teriyaki_Poodle_on_Strudel
Summary: Shulk decides to spare Zanza's life at the end of the great battle, but this results in repercussions for both the world and for Zanza.
Relationships: Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Fiora, Reyn/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

One year since the fall of the Mechonis, and the Machina who live on the remains of the Bionis still gaze out into the distant sea in remiscence of their home. Most of it rests beneath the waters, as small waves lap over the debris in the otherwise stagnant ocean. The Bionis may be worn and tattered, but its sustained damage is little compared to the catastrophe that the Mechonis faced during the second great battle between the two titans. The two titans sit permanently still, having lost the souls of their gods -- dormant in a universe started anew by its last god. 

The machina still mourn the loss of their home and goddess, and compared to the life on Bionis, their longevity makes it seem like it happened only yesterday. To cope with their loss and their time, many of the machina have turned towards the rebuilding efforts of the Homs' colonies. They look for anything productive that can take their minds away from the empty feelings that plagues their long nights. Ironically, a few even took to building food stalls among the colony shops, despite lacking any sense of taste themselves. Others took up odd jobs and crafts to help along the reconstruction process, much to their enjoyment. The emotional scars never disappeared, but the Machina found peace and joy alongside the people of Bionis. 

Peace did not arrive without sacrifice. Homs, Nopon, High Entia, Machina, and even gods lost their lives in a war started by a meaningless and cruel ambition. Meyneth sacrificed herself for the sake of the people of the Mechonis and the Bionis, dying as a martyr so that their futures would not be lost to her counterpart -- Zanza. Zanza himself was struck down, having vanished from the universe during the process of its recreation. However, it seemed that the new god, Shulk, had been merciful to Zanza in his wish for a recreated universe. Not long after, Zanza awoke on the Bionis, not as a god, but as a mortal. He was much like he had been in his previous life. No power. No followers. Nothing. A failed god doomed to restart and live the life of all the mortals that he had attempted to obliterate. 

Zanza drums his fingers on the countertop, bored. It has been a slow day in the store with the infrequent downpour of rain having flooded the streets all day. He does not expect service to pick up for awhile, and the restaurant has been cleaned a dozen times already today. "This is no life of a god!" Zanza scowls under his breath. He slams his fist onto the counter, only for one of the few customers in the dining room to look up in surprise. Not wanting to disrupt his customers any further, he decides to head back into the kitchen.

He sighs in frustration. This is his own restaurant, grown into a rather successful chain among the remains of the Bionis and its colonies. But he hates it -- despises it. But no one else will take him. No matter where he goes or what simple jobs he looks for, everyone turns him down. As expected. Zanza had tried to kill them and destroy their universe along with it. Zanza smirks at the thought. These peasants really deserve it. They cannot even admire the generosity of their own god for granting them such life in the first place. Zanza thinks to himself. 

He does not get much time to think to himself before he is startled out of his thoughts. A massive crash is heard from the lobby of the restaurant, and Zanza rushes out to see the problem. As he reaches the counter, he sees a customer with a shocked face standing by the soda machine... Which has somehow been completely dislodged from the surface and is now on the ground broken, spraying water everywhere. The customer snaps out of his shock and tries to flee the restaurant before Zanza can say anything about it. However, he is stopped short at the door when it will not open. Panicked, he tries shaking the door violently to no avail.

"THAT IS THE ENTRANCE, YOU MORON!" Zanza shouts out furiously at the customer, having had it for the last time with the customers trying to exit through the entrace. He puts his face in his hands and closes his eyes, groaning in defeat. The customer looks around for a moment and takes the exit door directly beside the entrance. As the customer leaves the restaurant, Zanza looks back up and is greeted with the large Exit through other door written on the door. "Every single time."

He looks back to the broken machine in annoyance. At the moment, he does not want to do anything. He just wants to wallow in his pitiful hatred of his current state, without dealing with anymore customers at all. He sits for a few minutes, not bothering to pay any attention to his surroundings until he hears a voice. He looks up and sees a youthful homs woman. "Excuse me sir, I think your soda machine might be out of syrup. I'm trying to fill up my cup, but nothing is coming out of the dispenser."

Zanza stares motionless and defeated at the soda machine, which is still tipped over an spraying water all over the lobby floor. "Oh really? I had no idea." 

"Do you think you'll be able to replace it in a few minutes? I am really thirsty." The customer says. Zanza merely stares back at her for a moment, not recognizing her face as an earlier customer of the day.

"Did you even pay for that soda cup?" He interrogates. 

"Oh, no. I just brought it from home. I heard McZanza's offers free refills, so I wanted to get some. Plus the last time I tried running those paper cups through the dishwasher, they got all torn up."

"Free RE-fills," Zanza remarks. "You still have to pay for the initial drink."

"Oh. Okay. I guess I can try from one of the other McZanza's in the colony. Thanks, mate." She leaves without another word, and Zanza is not in the mood to even attempt to argue with her. He checks his watch and is glad to see that it is getting close to the time he leaves. Normally he does not close the shop and leaves that duty to his other staff. Fortunately, his staff tend to be a bit more competent than the actual customers. Usually. Zanza begins to prep for the end of his shift by cleaning up some dishes and changing out the trash outside.

I really just need to just focus on being a full-time owner and work out of shop. A god should not be living among this filth. I should be ruling these people! My business will grow, and the people of Bionis will once again learn to respect and fear my authority. I just need time. Zanza takes the trash bag out of one of the trashcans and shivers from the cold drizzle of rain. Not as stormy as it has been today, but if he stays out here long, then he will get soaked. He begins to prep one of the other trash bags to replace it with as a man along the street walks along and dumps the remains of his meal into the empty garbage can which has yet to be replaced with a liner. Zanza grabs a handful of the scraps of food and throws it back at the man in frustration.

"Excuse me, where's your manager!?" The man demands.

"I am the manager." Zanza rolls his eyes. And here we go, yet again.

Zanza mostly ignores the man's incoherent screaming as he fishes out the rest of the garbage and replaces the trash can liner. Something about leaving a bad review in the Commercial District's bulletin board and telling his entire extended family to never go back to one of his restaurants ever again. Eventually, the man just leaves, and a few more customers enter and leave throughout the rest of Zanza's shift before he packs up his things and heads out, entrusting the rest of the night's shift to his other staff members. Despite them consisting of mostly peasant homs, Zanza does find himself growing a bit bond of them. They do not yell at him when an order goes wrong, they do their jobs quite well, and on his later shifts they sometimes even help him gang up on customers in verbal battles whenever a customer insists on staying two hours past close. He smiles at the thought of having at least a few friends to work with. 

His brief moment of gratitude is interrupted as he steps outside of the restaurant for the second time this evening. He is immediately met with a trio of familiar faces. The last faces he ever wants to see in the rest of his life. Shulk, Reyn, and Fiora have come to grab a late-night snack, and Zanza was unfortuante enough to stumble upon them.

"Hey, look at who it is! The man and legend himself." Reyn teases with a grin on his face. "Got yerself a new job?"

"DO NOT MOCK ME, MORTAL!" Zanza shouts. None of the trio seem to take it threateningly. Zanza has only seen them a few times since the incident, but he has always made a conscious effort to avoid them where possible. 

"Maybe when you learn to become a better person, we won't mock you anymore! You only have yourself to blame. You and your delusions of godhood." Fiora says sternly, her eyebrows in distrust. "You're a mortal now too, Zanza."

Zanza looks away in disgust for a moment, before fixating his gaze on Shulk. Shulk himself is looking away from Zanza, with a discomforted look. He does not seem interested in talking, so Zanza takes the liberty of responding to Fiora's comment, but his stare does not leave Shulk. "I will reclaim my godhood that you stole from me. When that time comes, you will once again serve as my vessel in punishment for your betrayal! A simple death is too good for any of you."

"Oh yeah? And how are ya gonna do that?" Reyn says, resting an arm around Shulk's shoulder.

"You will see. And when you do, you will regret ever turning your blades against me." Zanza states much more calmly and confidently. To his amusement, for but a moment, he can see a flash of fear across Shulk's face, before Shulk turns his face away even further.

"Common, guys. This guy's not worth our time, and at least we can enjoy the food, ya?" Reyn takes charge, seeing his friend's noticeable discomfort. He walks in alongside Fiora and Shulk. "Let's get ourselves some fizzy drinks while we're at it." Reyn smurks mockingly, seeing the soda machine still sitting on the ground untouched and unrepaired.

Zanza sighs and walks home alone. Like always.

After the trio finish up their meal, they head off to outlook park to gaze at the stars in the night sky. Fiora and Reyn talk along the way there and share some laughs while Shulk keeps to himself, lost in thoughts. The three of them sit on the bench, side by side, with Reyn in the middle. 

"I really love it out here at night. It's so beautiful." Fiora comments. Her face perks up as an idea forms in her minds. "I know! We should come here and have a late-night picnic sometime, and we can borrow one of the telescopes in the lab. How about it, Shulk?"

Shulk stares off into space. Reyn and Fiora share a bief glance at one another before Fiora speaks up once again. "Shulk?"

"Huh!?" Shulk snaps out of his trance and looks over at Fiora. "Oh... Yeah."

"Oh, come on, Shulk! Were you even listening?" Fiora says with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"What's up with you tonight, man? You have been actin' all quiet since-- Oh." Reyn leans back in the bench, placing one arm around Shulk and one around around Fiora. "Does he still bug you that much?"

"Sorry." Shulk replies shortly.

"Nothin' to go apologizing for! Fiora and I just wanna look out for ya. Besides, we'll make sure he never lays a finger on ya again. Hard to forgive 'im for what he did to the Mechonis, the High Entia, and especially to you. I know I won't forgive that guy." Reyn says angrily, though not directed at either of his friends.

"Reyn's right." Fiora leans over and looks Shulk in the eyes, lifting his face to meet her own. "We're here for you, and that's never going to change. If something is wrong, then just tell us. There's no need to keep bottling it all up inside, and there's no wrong way to feel about everything that happened."

"Thanks, guys." A smile forms on Shulk's lips, causing Reyn and Fiora to smile along with him. "I'm just not sure why I get so paranoid around him. I know he is no longer a threat to us, but that fear just does not go away."  
"Well in that case, whenever we do go by the restaurant, we can just order food to-go. No reason for you to go near him. Besides, with my cooking, there's no reason to go out for food often, except for a treat." Fiora notes. Shulk's mood only partially improves upon that last statement. Normally, Shulk does like Fiora's cooking, but he really hates how many vegetables she throws into the dishes. He wishes he could work up the courage to tell her, but he finds it a bit too embarrassing admitting that he dislikes vegetables as a young adult.

"Anyways, you two wanna have a sleepover at my house tonight? I am sure Dunban won't mind, and I can always make us breakfast. Plus we just got some new blankets, so it should be comfortable enough for all of us to sleep on the floor." Fiora looks expectingly at the other two.

"Sounds fun! Shulk, you down too?" 

Shulk hesitates for a moment, staring back out into the distance. The next moment, he shouts out, "The Mechonis!"

"Huh? What about the Mechonis?" Fiora asks concerned.

"I'm-- not sure. It's just like, a feeling came over me all of a sudden. Something about the Mechonis." He shakes his head. "It's fine. I probably just need some sleep. Sounds great, Fiora. Your place it is." Besides, Shulk never feels comfortable returning to the lab to sleep nowadays. He is alright working from the lab, since his concentration is elsewhere, but at night, all the memories come flooding back. With a concerned glance, the other two shrug it off and decide to head back to Fiora's house.


	2. The Mechonis Calls

A recent illness has taken the colonies by surprise. It is more contageous to Homs, but the Nopon and High Entia have also been catching the disease at a more infrequent rate. Fortunately for Machina, they are immune. It started out with a highly contageous cough and shortness of breath. More commonly than not, the disease evolves into pneumonia. This in itself is quite serious for most people, but it is highly lethal for very old and very young people. The populations of the colonies have never been exceptionally large -- any more than a few hundred people at a given time. After the fall of the Mechonis, the Machina did boost the number of people in the colonies, though the population of Machina was not exceptionally high either. Because of this, people live fairly close-knitted, and it was not long before a third of Colony 9's population was infected with it.

As an emergency response, the residents self quarantined for several weeks, until food and medical supplies dwindled, and the Colony was forced to open its businesses and trade back up. This effectively slowed the spread of the disease, but now the infection rates have crept back up. Agricultural trade with Colony 6 has been cut of during most of this time, except for a few emergency rations that were sent over on the backs of some Armu, guided by Nopon merchants. Nopon are usually the ones who make the journy anyways, but it was especially important this time, given their higher immunity to the disease than Homs. Like everyone else in the colonies, they wear protective face masks in order to avoid spreading the disease.

The Defense Force has temporarily suspended training until the disease passes its course, and Reyn has stayed at home in the meantime with Fiora and Shulk. Shulk usually stays the night anyways. Reyn chalks it up to him wanting to be around Reyn more, especially after Shulk and Fiora decided that their relationship was not going to work out. Fiora, on the other hand, has no choice but to stay at Reyn's house in the meantime. Dunban is sick with the disease, and it is not safe for Fiora to be around him in the meantime. She considerings dropping by to check on her brother, worried about how he is holding up. However, the district medics ensure her that they are taking good care of him and mention that they are much better prepared to avoid catching the disease than she is.

"I hope Dunban is okay." Fiora sighs, sitting with her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. Dunban cannot not even be brought to the colony's infirmary. It is already overflooded with elderly patients who are far more sick than he is. For many of the other sick patients, the colony medics have had to work tirelessly checking in door to door with the remaining ones.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it! Dunban's survived through way worse than a little cold. He'll be back up and about in no time." Reyn slaps Fiora on the back, like he often does with Shulk. Fiora smurks back before slapping him back even harder. "Ow! You can really land a punch, ya know that? Anyways, we don't want you goin' off and getting sick on us yourself and we don't need anymore sick people on our hands."

Shulk giggles as he watches Fiora slap Reyn across the back and looks at Fiora in the eyes. "Why not cook him some lunch? Even if you cannot see him right now, I'm sure he would be glad to taste your cooking again. One of the colony medics would be more than happy to take him some."

Fiora's eyes light up, and she stands eagerly. "Great idea, Shulk! But we'll need some ingredients for the dish. We haven't exactly had a lot of food going around the colony lately. Maybe we could go gather some ingredients outside?"

Shulk places a hand underneath his chin in contemplation. "I do not see a problem with that. Afterall, we're supposed to be avoiding one another, not the outdoors. As long as we maintain our distance from other people, then we should be able to collect the ingredients without an issue." Shulk pauses and then continues. "Anyways, which ingredients will we be needing?"

Fiora crosses her arms. "Hm, well, I could make some baked cool potatoes with pickled red lettuce! And for dessert, black kiwi pie! We still have some left over sugar, so the pie should not be too bitter from the kiwis." 

Shulk shutters at the mention of the red lettuce. "Sound great! So not too many ingredients, then?" 

"Yup!" Fiora nods.

"Hm, in that case, we ought to gather some chewy radishes while we're at it."

"Oh?" Fiora asks. "Chewy radishes aren't exactly easy to cook, and I'm not sure how well they would go with baked cool potatoes."

Shulk shakes his head. "No, I meant for the infirmary. From what I have read, they have excellent medicinal properties, and no doubt their supply is running low. Chewy radishes are one of the main exports from Colony 9, since they are so useful all around. Still not as effective as ether medicine, but they come pretty close. Not that they will close a wound, but they'll be good for helping people recover."

"Wow, I never knew!" Fiora remarks. "I knew that they have been pretty popular around the colony as the most recent food craze, but I didn't know they were actually that effective."

Shulk laughs and scratches the back of his head. "I never knew that they were so popular among the colony residents until Dunban told me."

"I see."

"Oh, enough chit-chattin'! Are we gonna go get these ingredients, or not?" Reyn says playfully. 

"Right." Shulk nods.

"We require a form of face covering for entry." This is the tenth customer today that Zanza has had to turn service away from for refusing to wear a mask. As the customer leaves with protest, one of the other customers steps forward to place his order. Fortunately, this customer is one of the few who has decided to actually wear one. "Welcome to McZanza's, what can I get for you?"

"Uh, yes, could I please get a large side of cool potato fries and a medium fizzy drink?" The customer asks politely.

"I'm sorry, our drink machine is currently down for maintence, but I am happy to give you a discount on the fries for the inconvenience." Zanza hates this boot-licking. Why is he the one taking orders? He should be the one giving orders to these low-lives! But if he does not, then the customers just get angry and leave, and he brings home less profit at the end of the night. For now, he just has to shoulder it until he can grow his business and his influence even further.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine. Actually, could I just get a Bananza McZanza instead? Your ice cream machine is still working, ya?"

"Yes, it is working. Did you want that as a medium?"

"Yes please-- Excuse me." The customer takes off his mask and sneezes before going into a coughing fit. He then puts the mask back on and pulls out some cash. Zanza stares at it for a moment in shock, before accepting it and putting it off to the side, away from the other cash in the cash drawer. He quickly finishes putting in the order and goes to the back to prompty wash his hands. He sighs.

"What's wrong?" A female voice asks. He looks up to see Prox, the only Machina employee who works at this location. She usually spends most of her time in the back doing dishes and drawing in the water when she can. Despite being from that wretched Mechonis and being a child of his sworn enemy, Zanza has growth rather fond of her. She does her job well, and she usually notices when he is feeling down. If anyone is soon to earn a raise here, it will be her. 

"How do you even live like this? Being bossed around all day by lowlife peasants who are too stupid to even know the entrance from the exit? This is a meaningless existence!" Zanza admits, his emotions bubbling over the edge. Prox does not seem to mind, as she scrubs away at one of the plates, removing any excess food on them. She silently turns her eyes to meet Zanza's. Being Machina, she has to look down, as she is much taller than him.

"Zanza, we all get frustrated. That is simply part of life, is it not? But for everyone who does frustrate us, there are a great many people who bring us joy. You just have to focus on them instead." She turns her head back to the sink. "Besides, this does not have to be your life forever, by any means. I know some people really enjoy working here, but if you have other aspirations, then chase them."

"But I had other aspirations! I was a god! The entire world was at my fingertips, and that fifthy little boy took that dream from me. Even if I can do better than this, how am I to restore my godhood? That is my dream."

"Well we won't know until you try. You told me before that a mere homs obtained godhood, so surely it is possible for you to obtain that dream once again. But I doubt that you will achieve it just sitting around here all day. I might prefer the simple life, but you should not force yourself into a lifestyle that does not suit you. Some people are just not built for simplicity."

"Built, huh?" Zanza leans back against the wall. "I created all life on Bionis. No one 'built' me."

"Well how did you come to exist?" Prox asks curiously, without any hint of judgment. "Have you always existed? I never really thought about what it is like to be a god, to be honest."

"Hm, well I can tell you, but you must swear to never repeat my words to anyone else."

"I promise." Prox says sincerely.

"I wasn't always a god, actually. Like that disgusting boy, I was a self-created god. Before this world -- no. Before this universe came into existence, there existed another."

"Another?"

"Yes, another universe, that is. It was a universe where the laws of space and time dictated the flow of reality. Ether did not exist, and the physical foundations of the universe were different. But Meyneth and I were both humans -- mortals bound to the laws of said universe."

"Humans?"

"Yes, a species that was not much different than Homs, aside from where we lived and aside from the fact that we did not require ether to survive. Although, there are a few more small differences, though most of them are very minor."

"So how did you create this universe? How did you become a god?"

"Humanity was an extraordinarily advanced species. Our technology was unprecedented, to the point where we were able to operate an experiment which altered the very foundation of the space and time of the universe. It was through that technology that we were capable of creating this universe, but it was at the cost of the other."

"I see. How interesting. So you could not recreate that technology to reclaim your godhood?"

Zanza shakes his head. "It is not exactly that simple. That sort of technology took all of the greatest minds of humanity combined to create. I myself was a scientist back then, but I alone cannot recreate it." He pauses for a minute and continues quietly. "It was so long ago that I barely remember a thing, anyways. I cannot even remember what my old name used to be."

Zanza hears a massive crash come from the lobby, and he groans. "Not again." His conversation is cut short, and he rushes back into the lobby. The drink machine is once again tipped over onto the floor and is spraying water all over the place. He looks up at the customer who tipped in over.

"Sorry, I tried to get a drink, but I think my drink got stuck in the machine, so I shook it to try to get it out." The customer replies guiltily.

"IT'S NOT A VENDING MACHINE, YOU IDIOT! LEAVE!" Zanza points angrily at the door. After the customer leaves, he flips the machine back up and places it back into the spot where it is usually mounted onto the counter. He adjusts the 'Out of Order' sign before asking Prox to shut off the water to it. They had just fixed the plumbing on it too. It was going to be fixed by the end of the week, until this happened. The rest of his shift goes by mostly okay, until he leaves his shift in the evening. Prox gets off at the same time as him.

"Want to walk back together?" She asks.

"Yeah, sure." Zanza replies, actually a bit grateful that he finally has someone to walk home with for once.

"That should do it!" Fiora says, collecting the last cool potato. Shulk has collected a large basket of chewy raddishes. Fiora had earlier tasked Reyn with picking the red luttuce and black kiwis, which they also had enough of now. Fiora places the small shovel that she used to dig up the cool potatoes back into her own basket, before stretching her arms over her head. "That really took awhile. So much for lunch! At least Dunban will have a nice tasty dinner instead. We have enough for all four of us, even if we can't all eat together."

The sun is setting over the horizon, and Shulk admires the colorful glow of the clouds, as the sun casts shades of reds and oranges across them. The smaller boy looks worn out from working outside for so long, as his eyelids start to droop. Even having wielded the Monado for as long as he has, he still finds himself tiring out faster than Reyn and Fiora. He worries that being out in the sun for so long might also leave him red. Neither he nor Fiora were known for tanning; they simply burn when exposed to the sun for too long. Reyn, on the other hand, naturally has darker skin, and he tans quite easily.

"Ow." Shulk says quietly, already feeling his skin hot and sore.

"What did I tell ya two? Ya gotta put on sunblock, else you'll burn to a crisp. You two are always pale as snow." Reyn jokes. 

Fiora squeals in silent protest, her own skin hurting from the exposure. "It's unfair. You don't have to wear any! I hate putting that stuff on. It feels so greasy."

Reyn shrugs, lifting his eyebrows. "Sorry. I didn't make the rules."

Fiora huffs. "Well, let's just get back to the colony before it gets dark. I don't want to be out here when all the bugs come out to bite. Plus we still need to prepare dinner, which will take time. Cool potatoes take awhile to bake." 

"Guys." Shulk says. He gets their attention but does not continue to speak until prompted.

"What is it, Shulk?" Reyn asks. Shulk still does not reply for a moment, as he gazes out in the direction of the Mechonis's remains. Not that he should be able to see it in Colony 9. The Colony may look different than it did before, but it is still surrounded by mountains which limit how far one can actually see.

"I-- The Mechonis!" Shulk's eyes grow wide, no longer tired. Suddenly, Shulk drops his basket and takes off running, away from the colony.

"Shulk! What's gotten into you!?" Reyn says, running after him. He sets his basket next to Shulk's more carefully than Shulk had before taking off after him. Fiora follows Reyn's lead. They chase him for a couple of minutes, until they near Tephra Cave, where Reyn catches up to Shulk and grabs onto his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. "Hey! Snap out of it. Tell us what's goin' on!" 

Panicked, Shulk tries to swat Reyn's hand away, but the older Hom is stronger than him. He only tightens his grip but not enough to hurt Shulk. "Reyn! I have to go! Let me go!" Shulk struggles some more.

"Not until you tell me what's gotten into ya." Reyn says firmly.

"I-I'll tell you, but let me go see it first." Shulk says more calmly than before.

"See what first?" 

"I'm-- I'm not sure." Shulk says, gripping his head in his left hand. "The Mechonis. It's like its... Calling to me."

"But the Mechonis is dead. We all saw it fall into the ocean. What could ya wanna see it for?" Reyn asks, relaxing the hand on Shulk's shoulder.

"I don't know, but please. Let me go. Just through the Tephra Cave. We can see it once we are outside on the other end."

"Shulk, it'll take all night to get through there. We won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, man."

"Shulk, can it wait until tomorrow? We might have more time to prepare if we do." Fiora adds gently.

Shulk shakes his head. "N-no. I don't think it can. I have to go now. Something is happening out there."

Reyn sighs in defeat. "Alright, man. Ya got me. I'll take ya through the cave tonight. Hopefully none of the colony animals go pickin' up our produce. Looks like Dunban's gotta stick with rations for the night. But just avoid fightin' anything. Ya didn't bring your Replica Monado with you, so you can't do much to fight. I've got your backs." Reyn smiles and gives them a thumbs up. 

Shulk nods, breath shaking. "Thanks, Reyn."

"I'm going too! Like I would ever let you go in there so defenseless, Shulk!" Fiora smurks at Reyn.

"Hey, I can defend him!"

"Sure, you can." Fiora giggles teasingly. 

"But how are ya gonna fight without a weapon, Fiora?" Reyn asks.

"Oh, Reyn. You think I would come that underprepared? Fiora says, lifting up the side of her shirt, revealing two thin shortswords strapped to her chest. Shulk's face turns red, seemingly embarassed that he is the only one to not bring his weapon with him. Fiora notices this. "Shulk, it's okay! We all forget sometimes. Just stick close to Reyn and I, and you'll be fine."

"Right as Reyn!" Shulk adds. The other two chuckle in response. 

"That's the spirit!" Reyn says, slapping Shulk on the back.

"Well, we ready?" Fiora asks. Everyone nods in agreement.

"Let's get this over with an' be back here tomorrow in time for lunch. If one of those blasted Bunnits gets to our picks first, then we're gonna have Bunnit stew tomorrow instead." The other two giggle, and the three head off into Tephra Cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who has worked fast food will know Zanza's pain. I more recently started working at an ice cream shop, which is significantly better than my last job, but even now, some of our customers can be very interesting, needless to say. Still not as bad as my first job when someone decided to drive their car into the restaurant, or when someone had a midlife crisis while I was trying to give them their onion rings. Also, I might note, the customer taking off his mask then coughing and sneezing into the air (only to then put it back on again afterwards) is based on a true story during this current pandemic.


	3. Ripple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers from the Epilogue.

Zanza hands an ice cream cone to the Homs girl and smiles -- not that the kid would see, since everyone is still wearing face masks. "Enjoy!" The mother is still waiting on her order, so Zanza tries to make small talk as the child scurries off to sit down to enjoy her cone. "Cute kid."

"FBI OPEN UP!" Not a second later, an enormous crash rings throughout the lobby of McZanza's, and the customers all look up startled. The door is busted in with a battering ram several times, until the doors fly off their hinges, and glass litters the floor of the lobby. A full squad of armed Homs dressed in riot gear and wielding assault ether rifles makes its way through the door.

They flood the store, immediately knocking tables to the ground, opening drawers, searching bags, and even assaulting a few customers. A few of the agents head towards the back and begin raiding the restaurant's freezer, turning over boxes of chilkin nuggets and cold potato fries. Every bin, box, drawer, and bag is searched through and through. In the front, the soda machine is busted off of its mounted surface and thrown to the ground. It is still not functioning, but Zanza had at least made minor repairs to it in the meantime. An agent takes their rifle and begins shooting it repeatedly, until the machine's exterior gives way to the interior contents. 

Zanza is too shocked to even begin to respond and waits silently for several minutes, until he hears someone from the back talk into one of their handheld tranceiver. "Rodger that." He walks back up to the front and looks Zanza in the eyes. "Wrong location. Sorry about that."

The squad of agents files out of the restaurant without further notice, leaving the entire place in disarray. "I'm going home." Zanza says, too defeated to even cry at this point. "The rest of you, please just clean up what you can. I'll raise your pay for the night, lowlife peasants."

Prox notices Zanza's distress. "I can see if any of the other workers are able to come in and assist us tonight in your place. Would you like me to walk you home?"

Zanza pauses and considers. "Whatever. I suppose you are worthy enough to be in my presence."

Prox silently nods, and the two leave together, beginning their walk back to the Residential District. At first their walk is only accompanied by the sounds of the nighttime calls of white beetles. The stars are glimmering brightly in the sky, and the air is damp and cool. Zanza and Prox both take this time to admire the tranquility of the district at this time of the night, until Prox speaks up. "Don't worry about the restaurant. We have insurance in case anything like this happened, and we can call in for repairs first thing in the morning."

Zanza sighs. "It is not the vile restaurant that concerns me. Actually, it is about what you told me yesterday. I think--" Zanza trails off in thought for a moment. "I think I am going to go my own way. I have enough employees at the few restaurant locations to run them successfully. It's just that I need a manager to mantain them all. But after that, I am going to go find a way to reclaim my godhood. I will rule this world once more!"

"I am glad. You never seemed very happy working there, anyways. The simple life was never meant for you." Prox says encouragingly. "Do you know where you will begin?"

"Well, I'm still not sure what exactly I need to do to become a god once again, but I'm sure that I can find a way. But forget that, Prox. I wanted to personally extend to you the invitation to become the area manager for my restaurant chain. You would have full reign over all the employees and become their new ruler. Your power would be rivaled by no one else in the entire industry except for mine alone! I can think of no one better fit for the position than you, and that power will be yours."

Prox does not hesitate with her reply and gives a gentle smile, easily visible, as the Machina do not have any need for masks during the pandemic. "I would be honored to accept your invitation. Go chase your dream."

"There it is!" Shulk stares intensely into the sea in admiration, the three having made it through Tephra Cave overnight. They did not get any sleep, so the three are exhausted, but they still wish to return to the Colony by lunch time. After they make lunch for Dunban, they decided that they plan to take a long nap at Reyn's house. "Although, it's a much different sight than it was in the past. Not just the sunken Mechonis, but the Bionis is different now too."

"Ya, but just as impressive. Sucks 'bout what happened to the Mechonis though." Reyn sighs, taking in the beauty of the scene. Reyn has been here numerous times in the past, though none stand out to him quite as thoroughly as when he and Shulk had set off on their journey for revenge.

"So? What was it you wanted to see, Shulk? The Mechonis is still underwater." Fiora leans over to look into Shulk's eyes.

"Ya satisfied, man?" Reyn adds.

Shulk furrows his brow. "No... It's still stirring. Look!" Shulk points, having caught sight of something interesting.

Now it is Reyn's turn to furrow his brows. "It's just the waves, buddy. It's as still as Dunban's right arm."

"Reyn!" Fiora shouts angrily, glaring back at him while straightening herself back upright. 

"Sorry, Fiora! I couldn't help it. Just slipped out of my mouth." Reyn apologizes quickly.

"Just 'slipped out'? Something like that does not just slip out! I expect you to apologize with your actions. Tonight, you are carrying all of our baskets back to the colony!"

"Oi, Fiora! That's no fair! I told you I'm sorry." Reyn scratches the back of his head and looks down at the ground.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Reyn!"

"Okay, okay! I'll carry the baskets back." Reyn rolls his shoulder and stretches his arms. "Gonna be a real pain, ya know."

"Haha! No complaining, Reyn. You're the one who set yourself up." Shulk grins at the two bickering back and forth. 

"See? Shulk agrees too!" Fiora says, glad that Shulk at least has her back on this one.

"Seriously, though. The Mechonis is moving beneath the waves. It's only slightly, but you can't see it?" Shulk asks the other two, bringing the conversation back on track. The waves move more furiously than normal, and are moving in a motion outwards from the remains of the Mechonis in the ocean.

"Oh, yeah. I suppose you're right. Ya don't think it's still alive? We all saw that flash of light, ya remember. That was it's soul an' all?" Reyn looks at Shulk for answers, knowing that he is the better candidate for coming to logical conclusions.

Shulk puts his hand under his chin in thought. A minute passes in silence before he speaks. "Well, Meyneth was the original soul of the Bionis. However, the Mechonis itself did not die until it was finished by Zanza. Egil took control of the Mechonis, even though Meyneth's spirit had vanished. But as far as we know, Egil was simply conducting an extraordinary amount of ether throughout the Mechonis, forcing it to move. He himself was not the Mechonis's soul, even if he controlled it." 

Shulk pauses to continue to think on his theory for a moment longer. He speaks once again. "I think... I think that light we saw was not the actual soul of the Bionis leaving it. It was probably the physical manifestation of its remaining supply of ether leaving it -- like electricity. Egil was channeling a large supply of ether during his battle with Zanza, up until the very last second. That energy was not efficiently circulated or utilized, so it tried to find the easiest path possible to escape from. After all, the damage against the Mechonis must have damaged its ability to properly circulate that energy. But... That does not explain how it is moving again. If all of that ether left it, then how? Even slight movements in the ocean should require a much greater supply of ether than any residual ether it still has. It must be channeling that energy from somewhere."

"Are ya sure you're not just overthinkin' it, Shulk?" In truth, Reyn does not entirely understand what Shulk is saying. He wishes his friend would put it in simpler terms, but he knows that sometimes Shulk has to process his thoughts fully before he can explain them to Reyn.

"That energy... The Bionis no longer supplies the Mechonis ether. Maybe it is absorbing it from the ocean?" Shulk taps his foot, contemplating the options. "No. The oceans are high in ether farther away from the two titans, but surrounding them, the ether levels are much lower. Unless..."

His eyes grow wide as an idea pops into his head. "The rifts!"

"You mean the one you and Melia closed together?" Fiora asks curiously. Melia explained her trip with Shulk to Fiora in great detail after reclaiming Alcamoth from the Fog King. Usually Melia is back home in Alcamoth looking after her people and their own rebuilding process, but the group of friends visit one another fairly frequently to share stories with one another. At least until the pandemic, that is. Currently, Alcamoth is not letting in visitors, and it upset Fiora, since she and Melia love shopping with one another and cooking dinner. She will just have to wait to see her friend again.

"Well, this is probably a different one. I mean, I am not even sure if it is actually a rift or not. But assuming that it is, the rift we located was located in Alcamoth, which is now on the floating continent above the Bionis's remains. It is nowhere near the Mechonis's remains. The last time we saw the rift grow, it affected all non-sentient life in the area, turning it savage. If a rift from the Bionis spread all the way to the Mechonis, I think we would have known by now." 

"I see. But if there is a rift, how are we going to check it out? Would you take Junks again?" Fiora tilts her head, seemingly excited at the idea of exploring the rift. 

"Probably. Miqol gave us permission to use whenever, as long as we promised to refuel it after we're done using it. It had to undergo repairs after the Fog King shot it down, though. I'm not sure how well it flies currently."

"Maybe we ought to just hyjack a mechon an' fly it over there ourselves." Reyn says sarcastically. Fiora and Shulk chuckle at the comment, but the laughter turns quickly to confusion as the ground beneath them begins to rumble. At first it is only a slight tremble, but the tremors before more and more violent by the minute. Looking out to the ocean, the three state in awe and horror as the waves flee farther away from the remains of the Mechonis. The remains slowly emerge from the ocean water.

"What on bloody Bionis!?" Reyn shouts, gripping Shulk and Fiora to keep them from falling over from the quaking ground beneath them. "It's rising!" 

"It's... Alive." Shulk confirms. The Mechonis's shoulders rise from the water along with its back, hunched over on its knees.

"And whole." Fiora says in disbelief. "It's repaired."

Reyn's mouth drops. "It's even got it's arm back! The one with the Machina village an' all!" Minute by minute the Mechonis rises higher and higher, the tremors not ceasing until it has stood up on both of its legs. "Whoa."

About fifteen minutes pass in total before the Machine is standing fully erect. "The Mechonis..." Shulk says still in disbelief. The disbelief after a few moments makes way to a new emotion. A grin emerges on his face, realizing what this means for all the Machina on Bionis. Their home that they had stolen from them. The home that no doubt many, though not all, Machina would wish to return to. It is the place that they spent their entire lives upon, where they worshipped their friend and goddess, where they formed great memories, and where McZanza's has not tarnished with its presence. "It's back!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately chapters are just going to have to be shorter on work days, since I simply have less time to write them. On my off days, there should be more content, however. I really wanted to expand upon the idea of the Rifts from the Epilogue, since I felt like there was a lot missed opportunity with that story concept as a whole. I am a pretty big fan of Stranger Things and Doctor Who, which really meddle a lot in alternate dimensions and space-time distortions, so I had some ideas to work with for the concept of the rifts. Also, I apologize in advance if there are any glaring grammatical errors or typos. Since I just write these for fun, I do not actually bother proof-reading them, so there are bound to be mistakes throughout.


	4. The Message

The Trio returns to Colony 9 by afternoon. To their relief, their harvest was mostly untouched by the local wildlife, though Shulks suspects that the basket with the spicy cabbage looks a bit lower than it had. He feels slightly relieved at this discovery. Spicy cabbages are revolting, but somehow Fiora and Reyn seem to love them. The taste alone is bad enough, but every time he tries them, Shulk feels like he just swallowed a mouthful of pure fire. 

Reyn complains the whole way back, since he has to carry all of the baskets in his arms, to Fiora's demand in punishment for Reyn's earlier comment. The three are eager to return to the colony to spread the news of the Mechonis and hopefully avoid spreading the virus. 

By the time they do return, most of the colony's Machina are already out and about, looking for clues to the massive tremors which occured earlier in the morning. The streets are still emptier than normal, with everyone quarantined indoors, but the Machina bring some life to an otherwise barren colony. The occasional Homs or Nopon walk by, scurrying back home with a bag of groceries in their arms, or a medic walks by, most likely on their way to check on one of the sick people in the Residential District. 

The trio head for Junks to inform Miqol of the resurrected Mechonis, only for them to bump into Vanea on their way into the ship, which is still undergoing repairs. She looks up in surprise, but her voice remains calm and calculated. "Oh, what are you three doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"

"Vanea! We came to see Miqol. It's about the Mechonis." Shulk says, sparing her the details until they are inside.

Vanea gives a questioning glance for a moment, until her face lights up knowingly. "Does it have to do with those tremors earlier? Is something happening to the Mechonis?"

"Yes. That's why we need to talk to Miqol. We saw what happened with our own eyes. Will you please let us speak to him?" Shulk states with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Of course. There are only Machina inside at the moment, so you should be safe from the disease. Follow me inside." Vanea turns and opens the door to the Junks, before leading them down the short hallway into the cockpit of the ship. The ship is still somewhat functional, as emergency repairs were made in order to return it to Colony 9 for further inspection. However, for awhile it did have the occasional spark in machinery, which was cause for concern. It seems like most of the mechanical problems have more or less been resolved, as Shulk carefully inspects the ship's interior while following behind Vanea with Fiora and Reyn. 

The door to the cockpit opens, and they are met with Miqol and a few other Machina, most of which are performing maintenance and checkups on the ship. They glance up when the trio and Vanea walk inside. Miqol greets them, and the three waste no time explaining everything that they saw from the Bionis' knee.

"So, the Mechonis has awoken." Miqol say in reflection. All of the other Machina in Junks have stopped working and are now listening eagerly to the conversation. Linada has decided to listen in as well, as the door opens behind them, and she walks in quietly, having come from the medical bay above.

"I can't believe it. The Mechonis... Our home is back." Vanea looks up, out of the windshield of Junk's cockpit. She looks out towards the direction of the Mechonis, but the mountains obscure the view.

"I was not aware that this was even possible." Miqol comments. Not that anyone would have expected the Mechonis to just stand up out of the ocean, as though it has never seen a battle in its life -- much less been entirely obliterated.

Shulk notices his confusion and offers his own theory, holding his hand to his chin. "We think it might be because of the rifts, the same type of rift that Melia and I saw in Alcamoth. We don't know much about them, other than the fact that they contain some sort of shadowy beasts, and the rifts themselves can cause wildlife on the Bionis to mutate into some sort of shadow beasts themselves. However, if these rifts contain an extraordinary sum of ether, then it may theoretically be possible for the Mechonis to move again and perhaps even regenerate. The problem is, we don't know what kind of effects the rifts will have on the mechon or Machina if they return to the Mechonis without first launching an investigation. It might not be safe to return just yet."

After Shulk concludes his brief explanation, Miqol seems relatively satisfied with his answer. "The rifts? We do not have any existing information on them. The Machina are completely unfamiliar with their presence, as far as I am aware. They're a new phenomenon."

"If the Mechonis is alive, then do you think...?" Vanea interrupts Miqol to ask Shulk.

Vanea does not even need to finish her thought, before Shulk responds knowingly. "Maybe so! Most of the remaining Machina evacuated the Mechonis before it fell, though most of them were already on the Fallen Arm anyways. It's possible that those remaining Machina may be alive, Vanea. Egil, he-- He too could still be alive. Maybe. It might be a long shot, but it might just be possible."

"Brother..." Vanea looks back up through the cockpit window once more. 

"It has been hard on all of us, but she has taken it the hardest." Miqol looks over at his daughter, unsure of how to comfort her. "Perhaps you would be willing to assist with the investigation and take her back there with you?"

"Of course! I can't even imagine losing my own brother. It's hard to even fathom how Vanea must feel." Fiora looks up at Reyn and grabs one of the baskets that he has been hauling around since they got back to the colony. She smiles gently at the basket, knowing that Dunban will be back home waiting for him when he recovers. She glances between Reyn and Shulk. "And I'm sure you two feel the same?"

The two nod in response to Fiora, smiling at Vanea in an attempt to cheer her up. However, she is still observing the colony through the window, and she does not seem to take notice. Linada is the next to intrude on the conversation. "What were the three of you even doing outside of the colony? I know you said you went to the Bionis' kneecap, but what were you even doing outside of the colony in the first place?"

Fiora twirls a strand of her hair in her fingers and huffs. "Well, we went outside of the colony to go gather some ingredients for a dish that I was going to cook up for my brother. Our plan was to have it ready by last night's dinner, but a certain somebody decided that he was going to run off towards Tephra Cave without saying anything." Fiora glares up at Shulk, whose face turns a subtle red in response.

"I--" Shulk stutters. Everyone's focus in the room suddenly shifts to him, and he becomes increasingly uncomfortable. "I told you, I don't know what happened. It was like the Mechonis called out to me, and I just had this overwhelming urge to run towards it."

"And you dropped all the ingredients we gathered and ran off without us!" Fiora shakes her head and crosses her arm. Reyn snickers under his breath, seeing Fiora get so flustered at Shulk. "You too, Reyn! Shulk is not usually that reckless, but you're always about as reckless as he was in that weird scene of his."

"You said the Mechonis called out to you? Did it speak to you?" Linada asks Shulk.

"No. It was more like a feeling. I'm not really sure how to describe it... Sorry." Shulk is not sure how to respond, but he feels more guilty than anything for letting his friends down and for running off like he had. He had not even brought a weapon with him, yet he had run ahead of his friends without a second thought. It was not like him at all. The blonde just stares at his feet, hanging his head in shame.

"Hey, don't look so down, man! No need to go feelin' all guilty on us. We're just worried for you is all. Ya gave us a real startle runnin' off, but we're here for ya." Reyn who has been mostly silent pats Shulk on the back and then ruffles his hands through the blonde boy's hair.

"Shulk." Linada walks up to Shulk, towering over him in height. Shulk has to look up quite a bit to meet her eyes. "Would you mind coming with me to the infirmary? There's something that I want to check."

Everyone in the room is still staring at Shulk, and he is glad to take any excuse to leave at this point. He can feel his face burning up and turning red from embarrassment. "Um, sure."

"Something the matter?" Reyn asks Linada while placing his arm over Shulk's shoulder into a slight hug.

"Well, I'm not sure. I want to check on him just in case, but I think I might have an idea of what's going on." 

"Alright then. Mind if I tag along? Doubt he'd be comfortable in there by himself."

"Of course." Linada nods and takes Shulk by the sleeve before prompting him out the door.

"Say Fiora, wanna go cook up us some dinner or somethin', and Shulk an' I will be back later? I'm sure one of the Machina will be happy to take Dunban his share." Reyn is about to go follow Linada and Shulk out before turning around to his friend.

"Sure! Sounds wonderful. I'm going to talk with Vanea and Miqol a bit longer about our plan to investigate the Mechonis, but I'll prepare something when I get back to your house." Fiora waves the two off before turning back towards the others and continuing on with their conversation.

"See ya!" Reyn waves back.

"As I suspect." Linada finishes her checkup on Shulk. While they are here, she figures she may as well test them both for the plague going around the colony just in case. In the meantime, she figures that she may as well brief Shulk and Reyn on her findings. "This is most likely Lady Meyneth's doing."

"Huh?" Shulk asks, confused. He meets eyes with Reyn who merely gives him a shrug. If Shulk does not understand what she is talking about, then no way Reyn will.

"Back when you lot entered the Mechonis' Core... When Shulk was shot, he lost his life force. Normally that would kill a Homs, which in this case, you may very well have been dead for a brief period of time." As Linada continues to talk to the two boys, Reyn turns his head and rests a tense hand on Shulk's shoulder. Recalling the events of the Mechonis' Core still hurts to this day, Reyn having held his dead best friend in his arms on the way back to Junks. Linada takes notice of his discomfort, and her face softens with empathy. "As Lady Meyneth disappeared during that battle against Zanza, her life force vanished. As I had previously believed, Lady Meyneth appeared to have resurrected Shulk with her own life force. Her soul is effectively gone, but I think her remaining life force may have given Shulk some sort of... connection to the Mechonis."

"Connection how?" Reyn asks, without giving Linada even a moment to continue explaining.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. It could just be an insignificant one, but the Mechonis has been still for awhile now. There's no telling whether or not the Mechonis will continue to affect Shulk at all or if that will be the end of it, now that it has apparently reawakened."

The three stand in a strange silence for several minutes, with the humming of machines creating a gentle white noise. Reyn and Shulk conjure up questions in their minds to ask, but chances are, Linada is unlikely to know the answers to them. She continues to run her labs, and Reyn grows impatient. The three have been in the infirmary for a couple of hours now, and the sun is beginning to set outside. Fiora has likely finished cooking dinner for them by now, and it will probably be cold by the time they return to Reyn's house. Shulk is used to toughing through the food he does not like, so he will eat it without complaining anyways. Reyn, however, is not too keen on eating cold cool potatoes, even if their name might be deceiving. 

"Have you two been anywhere around the colony, aside from out gathering ingredients? Any contact with anyone or visiting any establishments?" Linada asks, curiously. 

"Not that I know about. Somethin' wrong?" Reyn asks with concern in his voice.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Both of your tests have come back positive. Have you been experiencing any symptoms?" 

Reyn and Shulk both stop and their eyes open wide in shock. Shulk's breathing becomes labored as he begins to panic slightly. "N-no! We haven't been anywhere outside, aside from gathering the ingredients. Fiora has been sending some leftovers to Dunban here and there, but she always hands them over to the Machina for delivery. The three of us have been inside the whole time."

"I see. Other than the Machina, has anyone come to your door since then? Has anyone visited at all?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose..." Reyn says. "I might have ordered delivery from McZanza's the other night. Some of the High Entia technology has been handy for that, an' all."

"Reyn!? You did what!?" Shulk shouts at him in frustration.

"Hey, man, I was hungry! Who else 'round here sells Chilkin nuggets? You know I can't cook! You and Fiora were busy dozin' off, an' I didn't wanna wake ya."

"Better to wake us than to get us sick!" Shulk buries his face in his hands. He is used to Reyn not thinking about his actions, or thinking much in general for that matter. It does not matter how much he yells at him now, since he knows it will just happen again later anyways. But that does not stop the frustration from boiling up to the surface anyways. "If Fiora turns out to be sick to, Dunban is going to kill you."

"Well maybe we'll be fine! None of us have shown any symptoms, so maybe we're just the lucky ones?" Knowing that he has royally screwed up, Reyn tries his best to cheer Shulk up.

"Unfortunately, that may not be the case. While it is possible to be asymptomatic, it is rare. More than likely, the virus is still in the incubation period, and the symptoms will manifest themselves within the next few days at longest. You two will need to distance yourself from Fiora until we can confirm whether or not she has the disease herself. You're welcome to stay here so that I can keep an eye on you, but there is only one bed, and I'm afraid it is not very comfortable. Otherwise, you might have to figure out the housing situation on your own."

"Maybe we can stay with Dunban? He already has it." Reyn suggests.

"Normally I would not advise that, since we don't know if this virus actually builds up proper antibodies. But given the circumstances, you probably don't have much of a choice. You two return back to Dunban's house, and I will contact Fiora." 

"Got it!" Shulk and Reyn say together and head to Dunban's house. As the two leave Junks, Shulk is immediately hit with a wave of shivers, as they are exposed to the cool air. Normally Colony 9 is warm, but it seems to have recently rained.

"You okay, man?" Reyn asks Shulk, rubbing his back to try to warm him up. "Sorry I got us into this mess. I really messed up, mate."

"It's okay, Reyn..." Shulk chuckles, shivering more violently now. "At least I have an excuse not to eat the spicy cabbage that Fiora prepared."

"Yeah. Although ya gotta eat vegetables to stay healthy, but I know how much ya dislike them. Guess Fiora never seemed to have caught on like I did, huh?"

"I know. But until we get better, you better not go around lecturing me." Shulk smirks, and Reyn rolls his eyes. The sun sets behind the horizon by the time they reach the front door of Dunban's house, and they stay the night (much to Dunban's initial confusion, until the situation is explained). One of the Machina brings buy some of Fiora's cooking, which Shulk eagerly scrapes the spicy cabbage off of. Dunban and Reyn give him a knowing smile before they finish dinner and head off to bed for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, 3AM! Writing anything this late can be a real challenge.


	5. Zanza Wandering

Zanza has already handed off ownership of McZanza's to Prox, who graciously accepted his offer for the position of general manager. Almost immediately after accepting the position, she called in for repairs to the restaurant, after it had been trashed by some weird Homs organization known as the "FBI". She also called in repairs for the drink machine, which is still acting up, but Zanza is just relieved to not fret over the restaurant any longer. Technically he is still the owner, but he has given pretty much all responsibility over to Prox at this point, who in turn received a very generous raise. 

The process goes smoothly, though Zanza remains at a loss for the next few days, deciding to fill his boredom with entertainment. He prowls around the Colony towards evening when most people are inside, and there is no one out to lecture him about being out without a mask on. Most of the inhabitants who would normally be around the colony during the late hours of the day instead spend their times cooped up indoors. Yearning for vengeance against the colony inhabitants for their disgraceful behavior towards him, he spends the nights kicking over trash cans all around the colony and even goes as far as to "accidentally" barricade one inhabitant inside their home with the mobile artillery. An especially sinister thought dawns on him as he sees a lone Homs walking through the street, wheezing and coughing violently, most likely on their way to the colony's infirmary. The Homs walks by a trash can, which is tipped over and spilling trash out onto the ground, placing a box down next to it having no interest in picking the trash can back up again.

The Homs walks away, and Zanza observes the box that the Homs had placed down. It is a McZanza's box, containing several Chilkin Nuggets. He figures he ought to not touch it, given that the person was obviously infected by the disease spreading around the place, but at this point, Zanza does not care for his own safety or health. Rather, he has a much better idea for this sacred box of Chilkin Nuggets. Placing the box in his pocket, he grins and heads off towards the Residential District for the second time this night. The trash cans in this part of the colony are already tipped over for this evening, as they had been yesterday evening, and he does not mind them as he makes his way to Reyn's house. It is a bit of a gamble, but he had seen delivery to their home rather frequently at this time of the night. Fortunately for Zanza, he sees a bag resting outside the door, where the residents have apparently not yet realized its arrival. Zanza opens the bag and inserts the box as inconspicuously as possible for leaving.

Bio-terrorism is the least those pathetic Homs can suffer from for what they had done to him. They will know his pain and suffering, and they will feel the wrath of the Bionis, as a disease of its origin claims their health. Given that the childhood trio are quite young, it is unlikely that they will actually die from the illness, however. Such a shame. Still, Zanza is glad that not everyone is susceptible to the disease. Even if the entire colony, himself included, do fall victim to the illness, Zanza knows that at least Prox is safe, due to the Machinas' natural immunity to the disease. After all, they are mechanical life and not organic life. Zanza is not especially familiar with Machina physiology, given that it was an area of Meyneth's expertise, though he is not aware of any prior pandemics on Mechonis in the past. Mechonis is not exactly a place which contains microorganisms like the Bionis, so it is only logical that there are no pathogens which are adapted to their bodies.

In the back of his mind, Zanza hates to admit that he feels a deep-rooted interest in the Mechonis. How he would love to study its life forms, the structure of the titan itself, the mechon, and the inner mechanisms which through it -- the refined ether which runs through the Mechonis like blood. The titan is much more organized than the Bionis, where the Bionis had been created to replicate the life similar to his life back in that other universe. 

Zanza shakes his head angrily, "What am I thinking?! Interest in the Mechonis? That annoying brat spent far too much time fawning over those machines. Surely it cannot be affecting me in turn?" Zanza raises a hand to his face, shameful that his thoughts had taken such a repulsive turn. "The Mechonis is revolting -- unmajestic. It symbolizes all which opposes me, the true god of this universe. Its destruction is the greatest thing to happen to this sickening world. I can make only one exception, and it is for that one Machina; she who is unlike the others."

So then why? Why is it becoming harder to hold onto his grudge against the Mechonis, Meyneth, and the Machina? His grudge against Shulk and his friends remains as strong as ever, like a fire drenched by fuel. If anything, he despises them even more than he did in the past, as he watches them walk through the colony day after day, laughing and giggling at one another's idiotic jokes. But the Mechonis... He should hate it, despise it, yet he cannot find himself clinging onto that hatred as the day go on. In turn, it feels like it is being replaced by a an interest to observe it and learn more about it, yet that is impossible. The Mechonis no longer exists as anything more than a pile of rubble at the bottom of the ocean floor.

Sighing, Zanza sits on a nearby bench, and rests his head back towards the night sky. It stares back, filled to the brim with the glimmer of stars, speckled across his entire field of vision. The nights here are much like they had been back on earth, though he hates to remember the state his home planet existed in back then. So instead, he tries to take in the night time breeze and the gentle hums of the colony insects as he binds himself to the present. Perhaps he ought to remain here overnight. He has no where else to be, and home is nothing but a somber and bland building, filled with no family nor sentiment. He will fall asleep under the stars, as his mind continues to wander back to the Mechonis, to Prox, and to Meyneth again as he falls asleep. 

"Well, good news." Dunban chokes out, coughing and hitting his fist against his chest in an attempt to clear his airway. His voice is still hoarse, and he is evidently quite sick, but he forces out the rest of his thought. "Somehow, Fiora does not seem to have caught the virus. She is safe for now, though that means that currently you are stuck here with me. Some of the nurses in the district wish to keep me separated from you two, since I am currently recovering from the disease, so we have come to a decision. Fiora will travel to Alcamoth with a few of the Machina while we wait out this pandemic, and she will stay with Melia."

"But I thought Alcamoth was not allowing in visitors?" Reyn also coughs, and momentarily excuses himself to blow his nose in the other room, still listening into the conversation.

"Yes, it is, though given that Melia is now the new ruler, she has made an exception for Fiora. Since Fiora has been tested for the illness and the results have shown negative, she has been deemed safe to enter Alcamoth. Plus, I am sure that Melia is eager to see Fiora again." Dunban smiles, offering a glance over at Shulk, who shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. Sometimes he wonders if Dunban is upset that he and Fiora never ended up together, but Dunban seems happy for Fiora and Melia. Fiora had clearly liked Shulk a great deal, but he never reciprocated the feelings towards her in the same way, and somewhere down the line, she found herself falling for Melia. 

"So... She might not be here for awhile?" Shulk sighs, clearly still upset by this whole ordeal, though he is not angry at Reyn. He knows that his friend acts without thinking, and it is just part of his personality. 

"It will be for the best. You and Reyn will need to return to his house, since we should be keeping our distance for now. Hopefully I'll be recovered by the end of the week, but you two will probably be sick for a couple of weeks." Dunban leans back in his chair, taking a sip of tea to help calm his sore throat. Swirling it around in his mouth, he raises his eyebrows at Reyn as he reenters the room. "Trust me, it's not going to be fun. I take it you'll take care of Shulk?"

"Of course." Reyn nods his head, furrowing his brows in sincerity. "I got us into this mess an' all, so its the least I can do. Besides, I'd make sure to be there for him even if I did not screw up like I had. I'm just glad Fiora did not get caught up in this too."

Shulk's heart twists upon hearing Reyn's words tinged with guilt. He looks down into his lap, with his fists clenched over his lap and listens to Dunban continue to console them. "The colony medics know that you two are sick, so they will check up on you several times a day. They'll bring rations and medical supplies as needed. Fortunately, it seems like some of the Nopon merchants are back in business, so we should be getting new shipments to the colony very soon." Dunban allows the room to turn to silence for a moment before changing the discussion slightly. "You two will have to wait for your investigation. But after you recover, I'll be joining you on your way to the Mechonis. Have you boys been keeping fit?"

"Yes, sir!" Reyn almost shouts, eagerly wanting to impress his elder all while flexing his arms as though to prove his point. Shulk, on the other hand, remains silent, as his face flushes at Dunban's question. Ever since returning from Alcamoth, he had once again spent most of his time in the lab, using up hours of his day building weapons and scavenging for mechon parts. With all the new Machina in the district, he has also gotten used to disassembling their technology and studying the inner workings. Exercise is not exactly part of his daily schedule. After a few months, he had noticed that the scraps from the junk yard were starting to feel heavier, and he was getting more winded upon returning to the colony. The muscle he had built up during their journey has largely vanished.

Dunban sighs and shakes his head, easily able to decipher Shulk's hesitation. "Some things never seen to change. Maybe we need Vangarre to whip you into shape before we head out for the Mechonis." Shulk visibly shivers, and Dunban laughs loudly, though he is not quite sure whether or not Shulk's response was from his illness or from Dunban's joke.

"Shulk wouldn't last five minutes under Vangarre's drills. In fact, he'd probably just pass out on his way to practice." Reyn smiles, his joke accompanied by some harsh coughing. This causes Shulk to also begin coughing as well, but he smiles along with Reyn.

"And Reyn would get lost on his way to training and then come running back to me all lost and confused, expecting me to help him find his way there." Shulk rebuts. 

"Hey! That ain't nice, man!"

"Well you're the one who started it. Not my fault that you were not prepared for a taste of your own medicine."

"Oh, fine, you win! But I'm still not letting you off that easy!" Reyn smirks before grabbing onto Shulk's shoulders and pulling him to the floor in a pin. Shulk fights back, trying to push the larger Homs off of him, and Reyn lets him. Shulk knows that Reyn is holding back, but he still has fun wrestling against him like they often did when they were little, though Shulk would always end up losing. Tackling Reyn to the ground in a pin, Dunban lets out another sigh, relieved to see that they still have the energy to goof around. 

The two go at it for a few minutes until Reyn finally pins Shulk to the ground triumphantly, ending it once and for all. Shulk struggles under his grip, still laughing, though it quickly turns into violent coughing. Reyn quickly lets go of Shulk to let him breath more easily and helps him sit up. "Sorry, man. You okay?"

Fighting through the coughing fit, Shulk nods in reassurance. "Yeah, don't worry about it." Still grinning, he leans up against Reyn and rests his head on his shoulder, appearing a lot more exhausted than he had a few minutes ago. The sky outside is beginning to turn shades of orange and pink, signifying the end of the daylight. They will stay the rest of the night at Dunban's house, though they suspect that they will return back to Reyn's house tomorrow once Fiora leaves.

"You two go ahead and take the bed upstairs again. I'll sleep in Fiora's bed, since it is smaller and better suited for just one person." Dunban stretches his arms out in exhaustion, flinching slightly as a dull pain creeps up his right arm. His right arm has been recovering quite nicely over the past few months, though it is still nowhere near strong enough to wield a weapon in it again. Most likely, he will be forced to wield a sword left-handed for the rest of his life, though he has already perfected swordplay with his non-dominant hand. Rolling his right shoulder to help alleviate the pain, he watches as Reyn tries to beckon the blonde upstairs, though the latter seems interested in sleeping right here.

Finally prompting Shulk to his feet, the two decide to walk upstairs and claim the large bed to sleep in for the night. Right when they get to the stairs, Reyn stops to bid Dunban a good night. "Night, Dunban."

"Goodnight, you two." Dunban replies and heads up to Fiora's room shortly after, going to sleep there himself.

Zanza loses himself in maniacal laughter after he finishes up. All of the trash cans in the colony have been dumped over for the night, as well as the past few nights, and this time he has taken it upon himself to butter the flight of stairs in the colony's Commercial District. The next low-life Homs to walk this flight of stairs will be met by a very unpleasant surprise. 

He spends the rest of the night walking around the colony up to no good, keeping out of sight of any of the inhabitants in case they grow suspicious of him. Over the past few days, a lot of the inhabitants have been noticeably annoyed the the abnormalities taking place with the trash cans, so it is time to step up his game. When the sun finally begins to peak above the horizon, he decides to call it there and heads back to his house. He had spent a couple of nights here and there sleeping out under the night sky, but he can only take so much before wanting a nice warm bed to sleep in. His home might not exactly be sentimental or the most heartwarming place to be, but he did get a better night's rest in his own bed.

Kicking up dirt on his way back home, he sighs and frowns. He is definitely having fun causing menace in the colony, but he is acutely aware that this is not going to get him any closer to his goal. The quest to reclaim his godhood, to squash the maggots in the colonies like little bugs, and to assert his authority over all life of Bionis and of Mechonis. He does not even know where to begin, if he is being completely honest with himself. It is not like he can build another super computer like Alvis, and Alvis has long vanished since his wretched betrayal. If he could find Alvis again, then he might have a chance, assuming he could persuade him. As it stands, he is skeptical that Alvis will ever turn at this rate or if he even exists at all anymore.

There is no source of power in this universe on the same scale. The only entity to come even close to rivaling his former godhood was the Apocrypha Generator, though that was destroyed in the attack on Mechonis. Still, if somehow he could salvage its remains, maybe he could at least have a starting point. It will not be easy, though... Simply getting to that part of the ocean will require some kind of vehicle, but it is not like he has any sort of gear to go diving for the generator's scraps.

Although, there is that one vehicle. Junks. Perhaps he can steal it somehow? Could he even pilot it if he did manage to steal it away from the Machina? Would there even be a point where there was not a single Machina onboard, giving him an opportunity? Is it even functional enough to travel that far? All of these problems float through his mind, but he has a newfound determination to set out on this journey. Somehow, he will find a way to make it work, or he will die trying. But for now, he flops down on his bed, coughing into his shirt a few times before pulling his covers over himself.

For the next few hours, Zanza sleeps restfully, until he is startled awake by an abrupt trembling along the ground. Still tired, he rubs his eyes and sits up in confusion. An earthquake? This world has never possessed any sort of tectonic activity like earth had, so surely this should be impossible. The Bionis is still largely in ruins, so a lot of the debris that fell in the past no longer lands along the colony. Getting up out of bed, he opens the door to his home. Unsurprisingly, many of the other inhabitants in the district are also peaking their heads out of their homes, while the ones who are already outside look around in panic. One Homs who is in the process of picking up some trash drops everything in his hands and looks straight up into the sky, as though searching for some kind of hint.

The quakes go on for quite a bit, around fifteen minutes or so, before they finally die down. At this point, most of the initial panic has worn off, and it is more or less replaced by complete confusion. Some of the colony residents whisper to one another, and a few even laugh at the absurdity of the situation. After about half an hour, the residents go back to their normal activities, giving a glance here and there, as though they expect the quakes to happen again at any moment. However, they do not return.

The afternoon sun burns bright overhead, and Zanza furrows his brow. He will have to wait and see what the news is on the tremors. Surely some Machina will be sent out to scout for information, but in the meantime, he decides to plot his mission to steal Junks. In the evenings, he still goes from district to district to cause menace, but in the day, he dedicates his time to his one aspiration in this life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have actually been trying out Xenoblade 2 lately, and I really want to finish the game given its connection to Xenoblade 1. But honestly, I cannot say that I am really feeling it. I really want to like the game, though for some reason, I am just struggling to enjoy it. So far, I already know a bit of the connection between the two universes with some of the ending content surrounding the Architect, though I get the impression that a full play through of the game will give me a better understanding. So far, I am trying to limit the actual information referencing Zanza's former self as Klaus, though I might include my own spin on the Zohar down the line. The Xenosaga games were some of my favorites growing up. Anyways, hope this chapter turned out alright.


	6. Journey's Beginning

Zanza approaches Junks; however, he seems to have been followed. A small Homs, around three to four years-old scurries along in the darkness behind him, unaware that he has been already spotted. Zanza turns around to confront the toddler, huffing in irritation, ready to tell the child off. 

This startles the kid, who was not expecting Zanza to even notice him, much less turn to face him. But he stands his ground, concerned about Zanza's strange behavior, especially in how he has been circling around the airship for several nights now. "Are you going to break in?! Are you a criminal?!" The kid shouts, dangerously loud. In fact, the kid does not stop. "I'm gonna tell my parents, and they're gonna tell your parents! You will be grounded for a whole year!"

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Zanza fumes, running towards the child as fast as he can to get him to silence. He plans to punt the kid, hopefully over the rails of the colony and into the lake down below. Maybe the little brat will drown, but the colony kids all seem to know how to swim. However, right as he is next to the child, the kid retaliates, and tackles Zanza to the ground.

Almost immediately, Zanza is immobilized by the bratty child, who is now screaming, wailing, and crying all together. "MUUUUM!" The kid screeches, and residents step out of their homes. Zanza struggles under the grasp of the child, and tries to pry the kid off of him, but for someone who is probably only a fraction of his own weight, the kid is surprisingly strong.

"BE SILENT, YOU PATHETIC CHILD!" Zanza slaps the child across the face, managing to free an arm, only for a hot blistering agony of white pain to shoot through his hand. He tries to pull it back, except for the fact that he notices his hand caught between the child's teeth. He bit him with the force and persistence of a piranhax. After a solid minute, only for the residents nearby to just watch in confusion, the child relents, and Zanza yanks his bloodied hand free.

The light weight of the child lifts from Zanza, and two grown Homs stand over him, both with a furious expression. Must be the parents. Zanza flinches, expecting to be reprimanded and likely even arrested, but the unexpected happens. "Georgie, why are you attacking this innocent man?!" The mother shouts.

"But mum, the man is trying to steal the airship!" The child protests, puffing his cheeks out and stomping his foot on the ground.

"Now that is just ridiculous! That is like stealing an anti-air battery! Just too heavy. There is no way for a man to just walk up and steal something of that size."

"B-but that's now how it even works!"

"Of course not, young man. Thus, he is simply out on a nightly stroll, stealing nothing. I expect twice the chores this week from you, and you are grounded for a month. Next time you make such a ridiculous accusation and then assault an innocent person, then you can sleep with the piranhax."

"But--"

"No buts! Now come on inside," The woman turns to Zanza and bows guiltily. "I'm so sorry about his behavior. This isn't the first time this has happened. Please, have a good night." The residents watch the situation die down, and the family returns inside with the child. Right as the child steps foot in the door, he frowns at Zanza and sticks his tongue out in mockery.

Zanza sits on the ground dumbfounded. Originally, he was planning on attempting to steal the ship tonight, but after that ordeal, he decides to put it off for a few more days. Instead, he has a better idea. Technically he has not actually been inside of Junks yet, since it has been guarded by Machina during its repairs, but now that the ship has been fixed, it stands silent most nights, with Miqol and Vanea currently at their new home in the reformed colony. 

He will need to look over the operating system for the ship in order to learn how to use it. Overall, he is quite confident in his abilities, given that he was a top-tier scientist in his previous life, and he still possesses quite a lot of his prior skillsets. However, a refresher would never hurt anything. Messing with the paneling on the entrance to the ship, he opens it up and steps inside.

Dark. Quiet. No screaming children, no angry middle-aged Homs screaming at him for his manager, and no blasphemous teenagers trying to launch a coup against his godhood in order to recreate the universe in their own ideal image. Just how he likes it. 

The door to the cockpit opens, and Zanza steps inside. He expertly locates the main computer on the ship, it partially resembling the schematic of the space station he once worked at. Turning it on, he frowns. Windows 8. Disgusting.

"Well, at least it is not a Mac," Zanza reassures himself and begins typing, grumbling under his breath about the inadequacies of the operating system, "otherwise I would probably just blow this ship up."

Basic data collection. The computers on the ship assist with flight stability -- mainly micromanaging the lift and drag, but there are also some figures like temperature and exterior pressure. He will not be able to fly the ship with the computers alone. Instead, he will have to assist the course with mechanical inputs. Zanza spends the next hour studying the ship's interior and gathering any remaining information from the central computer before he is satisfied.

Not wanting to overstay his silent welcome, Zanza flees Junks the way he came in, relieved that no one awaits him outside. The colony bugs chirp, as he is greeted by a fresh wave of warm air, and Zanza takes in a breath. However, he cannot stay long, as he needs to go home and clean his wound from where the child bit him. The bleeding has stopped, and the blood dried up, but he should probably clean it out to avoid infection. Pathetic, really. While he was a god, inconveniences like these were nonexistent.

He sighs out of habit as he passes by a couple of late-night stalls, strolling the long way back around to the Residential District, hoping to catch a few more minutes of the nighttime breeze. Throughout the commercial district, most of the stalls are empty for the night, though a couple remain open rather late, often until morning. A relatively new stall is open, attracted a long line of mostly Machina customers, advertising spare bolts, screws, other spare parts, and something called "mecharoni and cheese".

His own shop, McZanza's, is closing down for the night, and Prox waves him goodnight with a shy smile, before locking the door. Zanza waves back, grateful to see at least one tolerable face among the crowds of lowly peasants. 

Making his way back to the Residential District, he is chased down by a few angry bunnits, gasping heavy breaths as he makes it across the bridge. Frustrated, he kicks over a trash can and heads into his home, calling it a night.

Reyn winces. He and Shulk have been coughing all day long, though Shulk definitely has it worse. It seems like Shulk usually draws the short straw. The coughing came on pretty abruptly after they woke up the night after spending time at Dunban's. Fiora had left for Alcamoth, so Shulk and Reyn returned back to Reyn's home almost immediately, leaving Dunban to finish recovering on his own.

Reyn groans has he feels a headache form towards the front of his head, but the pain in his chest is far worse. Sure, there is the cough and the fact that he feels like his lungs are on fire, but he feels an ache of guilt grow as cannot keep his mind off of Shulk, watching as he struggles to breath and fight off the virus to the best of his ability. If Shulk does not make it through this, Reyn does not know that he will ever be able to live with himself. Reyn closes his eyes in frustration, but opens them again when he feels a hand on his cheek.

"Don't beat yourself up, Reyn," Shulk says, coughing through each breath. "You've been so down the past few days, and I know it's not because you're just feeling bad. I'll be fine. It was just a silly mistake."

"But Shulk," Reyn protests, holding the hand on his face in his own. His other hand clenches into a tight fist. "It mighta just been a mistake, but look at what happened. I was stupid. In fact, I'm a complete idiot who can't even use his own head for anything useful. You're sicker than ever, and even if all I did was get somethin' to eat, you can barely even breath. What if it gets worse, Shulk? I can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to ya, and I refuse to let it happen."

"Then what's to worry about?" Shulk grins a the last sentence. His hand is feverishly warm -- warmer than Reyn's even. Despite a coughing fit and probably feeling like he just got done swimming through a poison swamp, the blonde strains himself to sit upright. Reyn tries to push him back down, but the other makes it quite clear that he wants to be able to talk to Reyn eye to eye. "Reyn, I've been through worse than this. I won't go dying on you. I swear it. And if nothing else, at least some good came out of this. Fiora finally got to go visit Melia again, and who knows, maybe once we recover they'll both join us on our trip to the Mechonis."

"You're still thinkin' about that oversized piece of scrap metal at a time like this?"

"Like we have anything better to do," Shulk chuckles. The coughing does not relent, but Reyn notices a sparkle of optimism in his eyes. Ironic, given that Reyn is usually the one talking sense into Shulk and having him quit taking everything so negatively. Instead, it is Shulk reassuring Reyn that everything will end up fine. "Junk's repairs have been done for a few days, so we will be ready to fly it once we finish the other preparations. We'll need food, medicine, weapons, spare fuel, tools, a mobile furnace, and some ether gems."

"Yeah, yeah," Reyn snorts. He raises an eyebrow and nudges Shulk's shoulder with a closed fist. "And who's gonna drive it?"

"I drove it before if need be, and I can do it again. Although, if Miqol does not come with us and his crew, which they might, then I know that at least Vanea and probably Linada would be willing to come along. Maybe they can pilot it."

"You think Linada would come with us rather than stay with her crew?" Reyn asks, letting out a sharp breath. "I mean, after everything that happened an' all, I know a lot of the Machina are eager to see their home, but a lot of them looked pretty frightened."

"I know. It's because of the rifts. Back when Melia and I reclaimed Alcamoth from the Fog Beast, the rifts were centered around the city, though we did not know that there were anymore outside of the city. Even still, we don't actually know that there is a rift at the Mechonis. It's just a theory. However, the rifts are dangerous." Shulk pauses and lets our a few harsh coughs and tries to catch his breath. 

"What makes 'em so dangerous?"

"Well, a couple of things. They seem to possess some sort of field of intense ether which attracts Telethia by the hoards. The rifts also emit some sort of immaterial phenomenon which causes animals within a certain radius to go mad. They become possessed by a black aura of ether, and are hostile with enhanced combat capabilities. It could turn a cave lizard into a foe with the strength and ferocity of a large brog."

"So ya think the Machina are scared of 'em? There aren't even any large animals on the Mechonis though. Just small critters that wander their way in from the Bionis. What's ta worry about?" Reyn stares at Shulk intensely, apparently not understanding the implications. Shulk smiles in amusement and shakes his head.

"It's not the animals they're worried about. If the rifts can do that to animals, then what is to say that it might not be able to do the same to mechon? Or even to sentient lifeforms, depending on the nature of the rift?"

"Oh, you're right," Reyn contemplates, resting his chin on his fist. All he can gather from this in particular is one more thing. "But wouldn't that put us at risk? You at risk?"

"Possibly, yes." Shulk replies honestly. Reyn feels a heat rise up in his chest, which spreads to his face. He does not quite think he is angry, though some annoyance builds up which is revealed in his expression and voice. Shulk notices this and flinches in anticipation for Reyn's incoming complaint.

"Then why would I let you go?! Ya can't even see visions anymore, and that would put you in way too much danger! I can protect you from mechon but not some magical rift that can control ether itself. There's no way."

"Reyn, I can look after myself. And I'll have Dunban there too and maybe even Fiora and Melia. We'll be fine..." Shulk trails off, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. He lies back down, wanting to fall back asleep, though not until he can convince Reyn of their mission.

"Maybe you should try to convince me when you can even stand up, man. But I guess you have a point. Doubt any rift is gonna get to Dunban of all people, so maybe your right. Still, I don't like the idea of you going. If somethin' happened to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You mean too much to me." Reyn is about to lie back down as well, figuring he also ought to get some sleep, though he grins when he sees a blush forming across the blonde's face.

The sun outside begins to dip below the horizon, and with it, the heat inside and out gradually falls. Reyn considers stepping outside for a fresh bit of air, though he figures after the mess they are already in, it would be safer to stay inside. Plus with his fever, he is already pulling piles of blankets over his shoulder to stay warm. Shulk shivers in his own pile of blankets on the floor, not feeling any better himself, and Reyn watches his chest rise and fall with his slow, steady breaths. At least while they are asleep, the coughing ceases. 

Feeling peckish, Reyn stands and heads over towards his kitchen. This kitchen in his home is not fancy, and he does not own a large variety of cooking supplies, as Fiora often brings hers over to cook, or she simply cooks something at her own home and brings it over. Reyn's own cooking is pretty bad, so he usually does not even bother. He was pretty excited when the new restaurant in town was announced, since it makes his meals a lot quicker and a lot easier. Plus he loves the idea of seeing Zanza fuming every waking second of his life in complete misery as middle-aged women with bobbed cuts constantly harass him over the store's service.

Reyn decides to crack a few eggs to make an omelet, one of the few dishes he knows how to actually cook. Hopefully he does not end up waking Shulk, and while he can keep it quiet, the smell will still drift into the other room. He spends the new few minutes preparing his food and cooking it on his stovetop, nearly forgetting about it as he cleans up his mess. The omelet comes out slightly overdone -- too crisp for his liking -- on the bottom, but he shrugs and eats it anyways. Eating his dinner without hesitation, he heads back into the bedroom to hopefully get some more sleep.

As he sits down to rest, however, he finds that sleep does not come easily, so he decides to instead stay up for awhile longer, agitated with the thought of the ensuing boredom. Out of curiosity, he ends up reading through one of the books that Shulk keeps over in his house, but after a few pages, he gives up and just decides to lay back against the bed in defeat. Shulk is still sound asleep next to him, but his breathing is more labored than it was earlier. Reyn feels his forehead, only to find that his friend is burning up with a fever much more severe than the one earlier.

On edge, Reyn observes Shulk with extreme caution in the event that his condition ends up escalating any further. It is for about an hour that Reyn sits there on his bed, his eyes beginning to droop, though forcing them to stay open so that he can keep an eye on his friend. He is half way in-between consciousness and sleep when he is startled awake by a painful, hoarse cough.

Shulk has a hand up to his mouth, apparently having woken back up. Reyn is almost relieved, seeing him awake again, but that relief is followed by disbelief as Shulk pulls his hand back away to reveal blood on his hands. Shulk tenses up next to Reyn and tries to excuse himself from the room.

"I'll go--" Shulk coughs into his hands again ,"clean this off." He tries to conceal his hands from Reyn, but as he pulls them back, he notices even more blood.

"Shulk, we need to get you to Linada. Right now." Reyn commands, grabbing onto Shulk's arm and revealing his hands. Shulk tries to pull back, but Reyn's grip is a lot stronger. 

"But--" Shulk protests, coughing again between words, "I can go tomorrow. If it--" He coughs. "Gets any worse, then we can go."

"No, Shulk. We're going now, even if I have to drag you there myself. I'm not gonna let this get any worse. Besides, I could use some medicine too. You're not the only one feeling like hell right now."

"Fine." He is clearly not happy about it, but the boy looks like he is barely managing to breath. Every time Shulk got sick in the past, he usually tried to hide it from everyone, Fiora and Reyn included, in hopes that he would not worry the others. Fiora would sometimes also try to hide her illnesses as well, but Dunban usually caught on pretty quickly with her. Reyn steers him to the door, not allowing him to even put on any slippers, both of them in their pajamas. 

"It's not too late, so I think Linada might still be at Junks right about now. We'll head there." Reyn looks behind him to see how the other is doing, but he is having a hard time keeping up with Reyn. He almost wonders if he ought to just pick him up and carry him, though Shulk is already protesting a lot about going to Junks. He imagines that it will just irritate the blonde even more, and plus Reyn is not so sure that he himself is in the best physical strength to be carrying anyone right now. Shulk and Fiora are both light and easy to carry, but just walking is winding Reyn as is.

It takes awhile at an agonizingly slow pace, but they make it to Junks before Linada heads out for the night. When she sees Shulk, her face would have gone pale if Machina had the physiological ability. Instead, her expression is just one of shock. The three of them head inside and to the medical bay where they were tested at before, and Linada gives Reyn a chair to rest in.

"I can get you some bedding once Shulk is taken care of," Linada speaks as she prepares a ventilator, checking both of their vitals in the meantime. " I want you both to stay here for the rest of the night and tomorrow. If you're doing any better by then, you can return home."

"How's he doing?" Reyn asks and grips his hands into two clenched fists. 

"Not great, but he'll live. I'm going to keep him on oxygen overnight and try to reduce his fever with an IV. You're also running a bit high, so I'll give you one too just to be safe. Are you breathing well?" 

"Well enough," Reyn says. He has a few coughs here and there, and it is not easy to exert himself, but otherwise he can breath within reason.

Linada tries to comfort Shulk as she places him on the ventilator and on an IV, but he squirms the entire time. Once he is on them for a few minutes, he calms down, seemingly having an easier time breathing than before. After Shulk falls asleep and Linada seems content, she gives Reyn an IV too and goes to the lower deck of Junks to retrieve some bedding for Reyn to sleep on the floor of the medical bay. She returns with an inflatable mattress, a pillow, and several blankets. One blanket she places over Shulk and sets up the rest for Reyn.

"Hopefully this will suffice. If anything happens, use the emergency panel and I will return. I have a lot of patients that I need to care for tomorrow, so I need to get some rest. Is there anything else I can do for you two before I retire for the night?"

"No, thanks Linada. Like really, thank you." Reyn bows his head gratefully, and Linada returns the gesture with a meek smile. She waves Reyn goodnight and checks on Shulk one last time before exiting Junks and returning back to the Residential District.

"'Night Shulk," Reyn says, even though the blonde is long asleep. He yawns and falls asleep for a few hours, until he is woken by a tremble and the sound of starting engines. Still groggy from sleep, he is not sure what exactly is going on. Junks vibrates around them, and he hears an sinister laughter coming from down below.

"This ship belongs to ME! You PATHETIC Homs, I WILL FINALLY HAVE MY GODHOOD BACK!" Oh no. Reyn stands and is about to dash down the stairs, but the ship violently lurches forward, and he is toppled to the ground. It moves unsteadily for a minute or two before settling into a steady glide. Junks is airborne, and Shulk and Reyn are trapped inside with whoever is in the cockpit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ironically, I have been having such a hard time writing lately because I have been really sick. And moving.

**Author's Note:**

> I have never really written a story on a website like this before, but I figured it would be fun to give it a shot. There are intended to be character relationships that will be introduced, but being fully aroace myself, it might prove difficult to really write anything beyond surface-level acknowledgements. This is what COVID19 drives people to.


End file.
